Soon there will be no one left to pay

Monday

Jun 2, 2014 at 12:01 AMJun 2, 2014 at 11:34 AM

I read with interest the article on May 29 regarding people being arrested after the sit-in at the legislative building in N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis’ office. The sit-in was part of a lobbying day organized by the state NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement (aka Democrats) — the same groups behind the Moral Mondays protests. They want lawmakers to expand Medicaid along with other government spending that has been reined in by the GOP-controlled legislature. “This shows the kind of games that they play,” said the Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP. “...game after game instead of coming to the table and repealing these laws that are hurting people.”

Beverly Black

To the editor:

I read with interest the article on May 29 regarding people being arrested after the sit-in at the legislative building in N.C. House Speaker Thom Tillis’ office. The sit-in was part of a lobbying day organized by the state NAACP and the Forward Together Moral Movement (aka Democrats) — the same groups behind the Moral Mondays protests. They want lawmakers to expand Medicaid along with other government spending that has been reined in by the GOP-controlled legislature. “This shows the kind of games that they play,” said the Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP. “...game after game instead of coming to the table and repealing these laws that are hurting people.”

In support of the movement, Crystal Price is quoted as saying that she’s struggling to take care of her family on a minimum wage salary. She makes $400 a month working for Wendy’s and has to decide whether to pay for healthcare for her two children or herself. “For them to go to the doctor to get a physical, to go to the dentist… I have to decide do I get me done or get them done.” She also stated that she is uninsured and has to pay all of her medical expenses out of pocket; she decided to participate in the sit-in because she wants things to change.

I know for a fact that if her family’s only income is $400/month from her wages, she and her children are eligible for full Medicaid benefits and the Work First Family Assistance welfare check — if she’s willing to pursue child support from the children’s absent parent (father), food and nutrition benefits, day care benefits, transportation to and from doctor’s visits if she has no other means to get there and occasional assistance with utilities if she has a cut off notice. Verification of the eligibility requirements for all of these programs is not a secret and is available on line by going to dhhs.state.nc.us and searching for the manuals on each program.

If Price wants things to change in Raleigh, she has an absolute right to sit-in with her fellow protestors, but she should not have used the excuse that she is not eligible for medical benefits as her reason for joining the sit-in. If she’s not receiving Medicaid benefits from North Carolina, it’s because she has more income than she told the reporter about or she’s not cooperating with her local Department of Social Services for them to determine her eligibility for that program. And Rev. William Barber should remember that expanding welfare programs is also “hurting people” — those of us who are working 40 hours a week to pay our bills plus the bills of people who are receiving public assistance — including food stamps, Medicaid and other programs — all of which are paid for through our state and federal tax dollars. As we journey further down the slippery slope toward President Obama’s and the Democratic Party’s socialist vision for the USA, more of us workers will be tempted to journey to the other side of the fence where we collect tax dollars instead of paying them. Then who will pay for the expanded programs that the Democrats are so determined to obtain?